Who is Greg Inglis? (1 Viewer)

[kurtrudder]

Some of you might have noticed the following on the FBG's news feed yesterday.

http://subscribers.footballguys.com/apps/news.php#647814

Greg Inglis is arguably the best rugby league player in the world at the moment and is the current holder of the golden boot award for that very honour. His Wikipedia page is actually fairly accurate and informative.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Inglis

Here are a few you tube videos of him, one thing I will note for those who don't know the rules of Rugby League, to score a try (touchdown), the ball needs to be grounded with downward pressure in the end-zone, not just crossing the plane like in the NFL. Some of these highlight reels really do show some freakish skills and athleticism being able to stay in-bounds and make a play. He shows serious strength & burst and very good long speed for someone of his size.

As Manish Mehta pointed out below, it is unlikely given his size that he would be a kick returner in the NFL which is standard logic based on history. There is always someone who can break the mold.

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/jets/2010...australian.html

Greg Inglis Stats:

http://www.rleague.com/db/player/i/inglis_...index.php#stats

Melbourne Storm Profile:

http://www.melbournestorm.com.au/default.a...&team=Storm

Link to original story:

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-...00522-w2vm.html

 

[Truman]

He's the key to my dynasty team.

 

[Sweet Love]

Funny, I saw the same thing on the news feed and the first think I thought was Ben Graham 2.0 before I realized they project him to play on the field. I took a look at the highlights and while very impressive, think he is in the big RB/small FB genre...why would they consider him as an LB and take the ball out of his hands? If Ryan learned from his time in Baltimore (and the Jets seem to be in that mold from running game, defense, even to young QB, why not put him in a McClain-type role? In the end, you have to wonder (1) if he is a God in AUS, why would he come to the US to play a strange game, and (2) how will he adjust to playing with equipment. I played hockey my whole life and the last 10 years have been playing in no-check w/o shoulder pads and face mask. I played in a game recently (that did have checking), where I had to don all the equipment again and I was absolutely lost...couldn't see through the 1cm thick cage and the 1/3 lb shoulder pads felt like I had a 10lb plate strapped to each shoulder. He could come here and be the epitome of a "shorts" player...guy who looks good in training camp and is lost when the pads come on.

 

[Glaven]

Just to clarify, he's about 6'5, ~238lbs.

Personally i think he has almost no chance as a LB. Watching those highlights, I can't imagine that he has much if any experience tackling people with the speed and quickness of NFL WRs/RBs. He also has absolutely zero experience with the ball being thrown forward, so I can't imagine it being an easy transition to play pass defense. If anything he'd become a TE/FB though he could thrive as a DE, 3-4 OLB (most likely on a situational basis) if he can put on some pounds. The two positions I think he'd be best at are TE or defensive end.

Chances are he won't want to come over on a permanent basis or that NFL teams won't want him, but if he did end up on a NFL roster I would definitely pay very close attention to him in dynasty leagues.

 

[Kree]

Funny, I saw the same thing on the news feed and the first think I thought was Ben Graham 2.0 before I realized they project him to play on the field. I took a look at the highlights and while very impressive, think he is in the big RB/small FB genre...why would they consider him as an LB and take the ball out of his hands? If Ryan learned from his time in Baltimore (and the Jets seem to be in that mold from running game, defense, even to young QB, why not put him in a McClain-type role? In the end, you have to wonder (1) if he is a God in AUS, why would he come to the US to play a strange game, and (2) how will he adjust to playing with equipment. I played hockey my whole life and the last 10 years have been playing in no-check w/o shoulder pads and face mask. I played in a game recently (that did have checking), where I had to don all the equipment again and I was absolutely lost...couldn't see through the 1cm thick cage and the 1/3 lb shoulder pads felt like I had a 10lb plate strapped to each shoulder. He could come here and be the epitome of a "shorts" player...guy who looks good in training camp and is lost when the pads come on.

The reason? Dollars.In Australia, the top paying non-national sport is Aussie Rules, and the highest paid player is a Rugby League player called Israel Folau. He only signed a contract yesterday with an expansion team, and he is getting paid 6 million over 4 years. And that is purely for a marketing ploy (The two new expansion teams for Aussie Rules are in the Rugby League heartland). Folau and another high market RL player, K. Hunt, changed codes for the money (League is a poorer game). Nothing will come of this, if he wanted a pay rise, he may as well go play Union or League in France or around Europe (Same game but more access to money).

 

[kiddisgod]

Just to clarify, he's about 6'5, ~238lbs.

Personally i think he has almost no chance as a LB. Watching those highlights, I can't imagine that he has much if any experience tackling people with the speed and quickness of NFL WRs/RBs. He also has absolutely zero experience with the ball being thrown forward, so I can't imagine it being an easy transition to play pass defense. If anything he'd become a TE/FB though he could thrive as a DE, 3-4 OLB (most likely on a situational basis) if he can put on some pounds. The two positions I think he'd be best at are TE or defensive end.

Chances are he won't want to come over on a permanent basis or that NFL teams won't want him, but if he did end up on a NFL roster I would definitely pay very close attention to him in dynasty leagues.

Inglis is a great ball runner, he's powerful and has decent speed. Tackling shouldn't be an issue, most rugby and rugby league players have a good tackling technique. To complete a tackle you can't just knock a player to his knees, you have to be able to keep them on the ground. May be he could be used as a red zone specialist? Offensively as a receiving TE, & defensively to rush the passer or man coverage against TEs.

This is the 2nd story linking him to the NFL, previously it was the Broncos and Bills. The rugby league salary cap is pretty small, only about US$3.5 million, split among 25 players, and his team has cap problems. It might not take too much cash to get him to the NFL.

 

[Glaven]

Just to clarify, he's about 6'5, ~238lbs.

Personally i think he has almost no chance as a LB. Watching those highlights, I can't imagine that he has much if any experience tackling people with the speed and quickness of NFL WRs/RBs. He also has absolutely zero experience with the ball being thrown forward, so I can't imagine it being an easy transition to play pass defense. If anything he'd become a TE/FB though he could thrive as a DE, 3-4 OLB (most likely on a situational basis) if he can put on some pounds. The two positions I think he'd be best at are TE or defensive end.

Chances are he won't want to come over on a permanent basis or that NFL teams won't want him, but if he did end up on a NFL roster I would definitely pay very close attention to him in dynasty leagues.

Inglis is a great ball runner, he's powerful and has decent speed. Tackling shouldn't be an issue, most rugby and rugby league players have a good tackling technique. To complete a tackle you can't just knock a player to his knees, you have to be able to keep them on the ground. May be he could be used as a red zone specialist? Offensively as a receiving TE, & defensively to rush the passer or man coverage against TEs.

This is the 2nd story linking him to the NFL, previously it was the Broncos and Bills. The rugby league salary cap is pretty small, only about US$3.5 million, split among 25 players, and his team has cap problems. It might not take too much cash to get him to the NFL.

I don't question his tackling ability, I'm sure he's an excellent tackler once he gets his hands on the ball. But I doubt he's faced players who have the lateral agility, quickness, and 4.4/4.5 speed that NFL RBs and WRs possess. It would take a long time for him to get used to the speed of the game imo. I don't think the TE or DL positions require as much awareness as the LB position. This is why I think his transition to the NFL would be a lot easier if he played TE or DE.

 

[chook]

He's no John Hopoate.

 

[loose circuits]

I don't think the TE or DL positions require as much awareness as the LB position. This is why I think his transition to the NFL would be a lot easier if he played TE or DE.

I'd have to disagree on that one. The blocking assignments in addition to route running make TE a difficult position to learn- which is why TE don't typically make an impact as a rookie. Especially with someone that doesn't know the fundamentals.

 

[Sweet Love]

Funny, I saw the same thing on the news feed and the first think I thought was Ben Graham 2.0 before I realized they project him to play on the field. I took a look at the highlights and while very impressive, think he is in the big RB/small FB genre...why would they consider him as an LB and take the ball out of his hands? If Ryan learned from his time in Baltimore (and the Jets seem to be in that mold from running game, defense, even to young QB, why not put him in a McClain-type role? In the end, you have to wonder (1) if he is a God in AUS, why would he come to the US to play a strange game, and (2) how will he adjust to playing with equipment. I played hockey my whole life and the last 10 years have been playing in no-check w/o shoulder pads and face mask. I played in a game recently (that did have checking), where I had to don all the equipment again and I was absolutely lost...couldn't see through the 1cm thick cage and the 1/3 lb shoulder pads felt like I had a 10lb plate strapped to each shoulder. He could come here and be the epitome of a "shorts" player...guy who looks good in training camp and is lost when the pads come on.

The reason? Dollars.In Australia, the top paying non-national sport is Aussie Rules, and the highest paid player is a Rugby League player called Israel Folau. He only signed a contract yesterday with an expansion team, and he is getting paid 6 million over 4 years. And that is purely for a marketing ploy (The two new expansion teams for Aussie Rules are in the Rugby League heartland). Folau and another high market RL player, K. Hunt, changed codes for the money (League is a poorer game). Nothing will come of this, if he wanted a pay rise, he may as well go play Union or League in France or around Europe (Same game but more access to money).

Thanks for the insight...I thought they would get paid a lot more.

 

[chook]

Funny, I saw the same thing on the news feed and the first think I thought was Ben Graham 2.0 before I realized they project him to play on the field. I took a look at the highlights and while very impressive, think he is in the big RB/small FB genre...why would they consider him as an LB and take the ball out of his hands? If Ryan learned from his time in Baltimore (and the Jets seem to be in that mold from running game, defense, even to young QB, why not put him in a McClain-type role? In the end, you have to wonder (1) if he is a God in AUS, why would he come to the US to play a strange game, and (2) how will he adjust to playing with equipment. I played hockey my whole life and the last 10 years have been playing in no-check w/o shoulder pads and face mask. I played in a game recently (that did have checking), where I had to don all the equipment again and I was absolutely lost...couldn't see through the 1cm thick cage and the 1/3 lb shoulder pads felt like I had a 10lb plate strapped to each shoulder. He could come here and be the epitome of a "shorts" player...guy who looks good in training camp and is lost when the pads come on.

The reason? Dollars.In Australia, the top paying non-national sport is Aussie Rules, and the highest paid player is a Rugby League player called Israel Folau. He only signed a contract yesterday with an expansion team, and he is getting paid 6 million over 4 years. And that is purely for a marketing ploy (The two new expansion teams for Aussie Rules are in the Rugby League heartland). Folau and another high market RL player, K. Hunt, changed codes for the money (League is a poorer game).

Nothing will come of this, if he wanted a pay rise, he may as well go play Union or League in France or around Europe (Same game but more access to money).

Thanks for the insight...I thought they would get paid a lot more.

The next AFL broadcast rights deal will be around $1.2b for 2012-2016. There's only 21 million people in our vast country, and while the AFL sits behind only the NFL, Indian cricket & German soccer in average attendance, the money - while bigger than rival codes in this country - is just not there when compared to European football & major US sports.

Best game in the world still, and I say that with a life-long love for American football.